After earning another Athlete of the Week bid for breaking three school and four KLAA records at the Lakes Conference swim meet last weekend, the Brighton girls swimmer officially cemented her college decision, signing her letter of intent Friday to compete for Brown University next season.

“I’m really, really pumped for next year,” said Seaman, who of course still has a lot to look forward to this year with the Division 1 state meet upcoming and the Brighton senior looking to add to her already lengthy resume.

For Seaman, the signing comes at the perfect time.

Asked to describe the recruiting process and she said it has been “stressful.”

That is certainly typical for most student-athletes and students going through the college application process in general, as they must determine the paths their lives will take for the next half-decade. But for Seaman it was amplified, given she has high expectations as she preps to lead her team into states.

The Bulldogs are seeking another top-five finish, and with Seaman having been the state champion in the 100-yard freestyle in 2014 as a sophomore and then a runner-up for the distinction again as a junior, people are expecting a lot out of the senior in her last hurrah at the high school level.

So finding her perfect school and deciding where she would be spending at least the next four years of her life was an enormous weight lifted off her shoulders. That lingering pressure is no longer there, and now she can focus solely on the meet.

“Going into my visits, I was like, ‘What if I don’t like any of the schools? What do I do? What if I don’t like any of the ones I visted?' ” Seaman said. “After I visited Brown, I knew that was where I wanted to go, but then I didn’t know if they were going to offer me a spot or not, so it was stressful.”

Of course, Seaman successfully pushed aside the questions surrounding her future and kept up her stellar performance in the pool. And when Brown offered, she accepted the opportunity to attend a Division I, Ivy League college, choosing the Rhode Island-based university over Ohio State and Cornell.

Even though she called it “scary” being so far away from home, the mix of a supportive coaching staff, a solid team, beautiful campus and an open curriculum that will allow her to take classes pertaining only to her major, was attractive enough to draw her away from the midwest to the east coast.

Having a former teammate currently undergoing a similar transition was helpful as well.

Former Brighton swimmer Lilia Staszel, who graduated last year, is attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston where she continues her studies while also competing for the swim team. Seaman said she has been in touch with Staszel regarding the move.

“I have talked to her a couple times since she left,” Seaman said. “She really likes it out there. She, at first, felt homesick, but eventually she made friends on the team and she says she’s doing totally fine now.”

Certainly, that eased any concerns. But Seaman didn’t have many to begin with.

She said she looks forward to the change of scenery.

“It’s a really, really exciting opportunity,” said Seaman, who plans on studying something in the psychology field. “I’m kind of excited to be somewhere different because I’ve lived in the same place my whole life.

“This means a lot. I honestly never really expected myself to be going to an Ivy League school. So talking to them and talking to the coaches, it was kind of surreal. I didn’t realize that I was good enough for that. But I guess I am.”